“Don’t let anybody tell you differently. Babe definitely pointed.” Those are the words of Chicago Cubs announcer Pat Pieper referring to the famous “Called Shot,” where the legendary Yankees player Babe Ruth pointed at the flagpole at center field right before nailing a home run on 1 October 1923 at Wrigley Field, Chicago. The moment has become one of the defining moments of baseball’s Golden Age, and one lucky collector will be able to own a part of that history.
Heritage Auctions is selling at their August 2024 Platinum Night Sports Auction the jersey Babe Ruth wore when he made his “Called Shot." It is estimated at US$30 million, and at the time of writing, its current bid sits at US$15.3 million. Even at that current bid, it would surpass the previous record holder for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia item sold at auction, a Mickey Mantle baseball card also sold by Heritage Auctions in 2022, by a margin of nearly US$3 million.
Lot 80162⏐Spalding⏐1932 Babe Ruth Game Worn New York Yankees World Series "Called Shot" Jersey, SGC Superior- Photo Matched
Circa: 1932 Season, World Series
Size 46
Provenance:
- Babe Ruth
- Acquired by a golfing friend of Babe Ruth during the baseball ball player’s retirement in Flordia most likely between 1946-1948
- Passed down to the previous owner’s daughter
- Acquired by a baseball collector in 1990
Estimate: US$30,000,000
Current Bid: US$15,300,000
Auction House: Heritage Auctions
Sale: Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction #50072
Date: 23-25 August 2024
Babe Ruth is generally considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, baseball players of all time. His career started with the Boston Red Sox, playing for them when they won the 1915, 1916, and 1918 World Series.
He became the league’s best left-handed pitcher and eventually an ace batter when he insisted on being put into different roles, hitting consecutive home runs in his first four games.
Much to the anger of Boston fans, Ruth was sold to the Yankees in 1920. This would prove fruitful for Ruth, as he’d play for the New York team for 14 years, earning four World Series titles, MVP in 1923, and his famous batting record of .378 batting average in 1924. It also paved the way for the “Called Shot.”
Babe Ruth batting for his first season as a Yankee, weaning the team’s iconic pinstripes
In 1932, the Yankees faced off against the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series. There had been a feud between the two teams due to Mark Koening, a former Yankee who was traded to the Cubs and cheated by the Cubs out of his full bonus earnings. This earned the ire of the Yankees.
This led to aggressive “trash talk” between the teams, with the Yankees calling the Cubs cheapskates and the Cubs calling the Yankees other insults and slurs.
The Yankees would win the first two games, played in New York. The third game saw the Yankees go to Chicago to play. During it, the Chicago fans hurled insults at the Yankees, allegedly even spitting on Ruth and his wife. This vitriol carried onto the pitch with the Cubs fans throwing produce at Ruth.
An image of the 1932 World Series featuring select members from the Cubs and Yankees including Ruth, standing second from the left
By the 4th inning, the game was 4-4. Ruth had already hit one home run. He was batting against Charlie Root. Ruth took one strike against Root, and while being heckled, Ruth held up his right hand and pointed out to the flagpole in the center field. He then took a second strike from Root and repeated the pointing gesture.
It was at the third pitch, a curveball by Root, that Ruth hammered the baseball deep into centerfield. The ball flew between 440 and 490 feet, landing in the stands. He then mocked the Cub’s dugout and ran his bases. The Yankees won the game 7-5 and would go on to sweep the series in the next game.
Babe Ruth nailing a home run at the 3rd game of the 1932 World Series, possibly the “Called Shot” itself
A newspaper from after the 3rd game in the 1932 World Series. Historians of the sport generally agree that it was the shot's sensationalization in the media that turned it from a minor baseball event to a part of the sport's mythology
The nature of the “Called Shot” is one of the largest mysteries in baseball. Conflicting reports state that Ruth wasn’t pointing at the flagpole but at the Cub’s dugout or Root himself. Recovered footage from the game does not make it any clearer what Ruth was pointing at, but teammate Lou Gerhig was positive it was at the flagpole in center field.
In his 1948 autobiography, Ruth wrote that he told his wife, “I’ll belt one where it hurts them the most.” It lends credence to the idea that this was indeed a called shot and not a random occurrence.
A photo of Babe Ruth pointing his finger before the home run
An artist's rendition of Babe Ruth calling his shot pointing to the flag poll
This being the jersey that Babe Ruth wore when he made the famous shot will go down in baseball history as one of its most important momentos. Given its price and importance, the MeiGray Group has come in to verify that it is indeed the real jersey Babe Ruth wore during the game. Using photos cross-referenced with the actual game specifically to do with the placement of the buttons and the letters on the jersey.
Further details, such as the style of the jersey being in-keeping with the style worn during Yankees away games, Ruth’s iconic number "3,” and the modification to use a “tie-down” strap, which Ruth preferred in his heftier years. SGC grading gives the jersey a coveted Superior grade only applied to jerseys that exhibit both solid game wear and are also well preserved.
The MeiGray Group photo authentication to confirm the jersey is the real game-worn one
Topps⏐1952⏐#311⏐Mickey Mantle, finest known example⏐Mint Condition 9.5⏐ Sold by Heritage Auctions Dallas, for around US$ 12.6 million, 2022
Even with its, at the time of writing, US$15.3 million current bid, the jersey is well on its way to becoming the most expensive sports memento of all time. It has already surpassed the previous record holder. A 1952 Mickey Mantle card sold for US$12.6 million in 2022.
The Ruth jersey is also on track to handily surpass the most expensive game-worn jersey record, which was previously held by Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey. The Jordan jersey was previously sold by Sotheby’s New York for US$10.1 million in 2022.